


Drifting Through Time

by FreezeYourBrain



Category: Total Drama (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2018-09-13
Packaged: 2019-07-11 15:22:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15975092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreezeYourBrain/pseuds/FreezeYourBrain
Summary: Ten years after the end of Total Drama, Courtney and Duncan managed to stay together, for good this time. However, a bad accident leaves Courtney in a coma, her body at least, her spirit is still there. She is being torn between the present and the past, going back to Wawanakwa and seeing things differently this time while helpless Duncan sits by her side and tries to think of anything he can do to hold on hope that she'll wake up.





	1. Prelude - She's A Rebel

**Author's Note:**

> Hey so this is my first fic in a long, long time, I'm also new to AO3 so I'm not used to the formatting here and it may take me a few tries to get it, please be patient with me. I will leave a link to the song in the notes every time so you can enjoy (also yes my music taste does suck). Enjoy!
> 
>  
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R6h_isTzt8

She’s a Rebel  
_She’s a rebel_  
_She’s a saint_  
_She’s the salt of the earth and she’s dangerous_  
_She’s a rebel, vigilante_  
_Missing link on the brink of destruction_

Courtney stormed into the shared apartment she had with Duncan, cursing, her hands balled in tight fist as she muttered to herself and kicked off her heels. Normally, Duncan would love to poke his girlfriend and get under her skin, but he hadn’t seen her this angry before. Not in the ten years he’s known her. He opened his mouth to speak but quickly decided against, Courtney could be frightening when she was angry. The door to their bedroom slammed shut and Duncan winced at the sound. He tried to think if he had done something to set her off, she was actually in a good mood this morning, he didn’t know what was wrong but it was something big.

Courtney slipped out of her work clothes not even bothering to put them away like she normally would, hell she would even chastise Duncan if he left a dirty sock on the ground by mistake. She changed into a pair of dark jeans and a loose tank top before putting a leather jacket on with matching boots. She had lost her client, he chose another law firm and her boss blamed everything on her even though she had worked all day and all night to help her client with his petty lawsuit. She got chewed out all day and needed to release her anger.  
Riding on the back of Duncan’s bike always made her feel free, like she had no cares in the world. All she had to do was snuggle up behind her man and watch the city fly by them. It was amazing. However, she wasn’t planning on a relaxing ride around back roads, she needed control. She wanted to go and go as fast as she could. She wanted to ride until there was no road left in front of them or no gas left in the bike, whichever came first. She grabbed her helmet along with Duncan’s and stormed back out, tossing it onto his chest without looking. She grabbed the keys to the bike and headed down the stairs without so much as looking at him.  
Duncan had quickly followed her down after her got his shoes on and saw Courtney leaning against the bike, arms crossed and eyes set on him. It was kinda hot.

“I want to drive.” She said firmly, it wasn’t a question, she wasn’t asking permission, she was telling him.

Duncan scoffed and shook his head, done with her attitude. “Look princess,” he started, taking a step back at the icy glare. He cleared his throat and shook his head. “First thing, you’re not thinking straight. Second, you’re pissed off to the point of scaring me. Third, I don’t ride bitch.” He crossed his arms with a confident look.

Courtney simply shrugged and started the bike, Duncan had taught her a few things that scared her, how to wield a knife in self-defense, how to tattoo someone, and how to drive his bike. “Fine. I’ll drive alone.” She said flatly and a simple shrug, she would go with or without him.

Duncan’s eyes went wide and he immediately sat behind her, he had never let her drive on her own for more than a block and the last time that happened she had a panic attack. Like hell was he letting her ride, while pissed off. He wrapped an arm around her waist, part of him wanting to pull her close to his chest, it was a natural position for her to be between his legs, her back against his chest as she told him about her day trying to clean up this hell of a city. He opened his mouth to try and talk her down but they immediately skidded out of the garage and down the street.

Courtney knew she was going fast, weaving in and out of traffic, it was a bit of a thrill as she ran stop signs and red lights. She pressed on with a determined look on her face, she wasn’t running away from her problems, she was running them down. She finally shut the bike off a few miles out of town on a backroad that lead to nowhere. She got off the bike, feeling overwhelmed, dizzy, and just tired. She sat down and put her face in her hands, defeated. She figured this would fix it, it worked for Duncan, why not her?

Duncan got off the bike, ready to scream at her for putting herself in that much danger. He would lock his bike up somewhere, sell it if he had to, but there was no way in hell they were ever going to ride like that again. He opened his mouth and again was left speechless. This girl who had just broken half of all traffic laws and didn’t even blink was now crumpled up on the ground. He sat next to her and wrapped his arm tightly around her, knowing from experience it was better to let her cry it out before talking to her, if he tried all he got was a garbled mess of a response.

It took nearly twenty minutes for her to calm down, she felt embarrassed, she had acted like a toddler. Part of her expected to be left on her own, Duncan having given up on her crying and whining and left her to find her own way home. Yet here he was, patient and waiting, he really had grown up.

“I lost a client today, my boss took the rest of the day to chew me out, curse me out, do everything but basically hit me to make me feel worthless.” She said softly, not daring to look up at Duncan who would probably laugh at her for being so immature.

“I’ll kill him for you.” He offered with a little smirk, trying to get her to smile.

On the inside he was boiling over, fucking nobody talked bad or down to her, ever. Hell, part of him was considering it, a mischievous smile coming to his face at the idea of making this guy pay for every word that he said. Then he thought about Courtney and that brought him back down to earth. He pulled her onto his lap, holding her tightly while she wept a little more.

“You are the most, powerful, smart, amazing, sexy, beautiful, perfect woman I have ever met.” Duncan said and cupped her cheeks, wiping away her tears gently and kissing her slow. “You’re also insane, annoying, and rebellious.” He smirked, earning a small glare from him but he could see the smile on her lips

That was enough for him, he knew it helped her, they drove each other crazy and had screaming fights and crazy make up sex. They hated each other but couldn’t live without the other. He needed her, plus it was entertaining to wind her up and annoy her whenever he could.

Duncan had wiped any trace of doubt from her mind about who she was as a woman. She glared a bit when he called her annoying but there was no menace in it. She leaned up and kissed him sweetly, her hand cupping his cheek. She felt like a teenager again with him sometimes. Sometimes he could make her feel like she felt when they stole from Chef’s kitchen, the best night of her life, although she would never admit it, at least to Duncan. He arms wrapped loosely around his neck while his hands roamed up and down her sides slowly.

She forced herself to pull away when she felt herself getting breathless and a bit too excited. She blushed brightly as Duncan smirked confidently.

“Wow, a few minutes of kissing leaves you that undone, am I that good?” He asked with a cocky look.

Instead of a glare she smiled lazily and pushed their heads together, sighing softly. “Just drive me home.” She said, but her voice had no trace of annoyance or anger, she just wanted to slip out of her too tight jeans, which she was sure Duncan loved, and into one of his shirts and stay in his arms all night. She didn’t care about the case or what her boss had said to her, Duncan made it all disappear.  
Maybe that’s what made everything disappear and make her feel like she could do anything, because she had someone by her side who really believed in her. She could tell he was genuine when he talked about how she was powerful and insane she was, she took it all as a compliment.

Duncan smiled when he realized he had calmed her down from her heightened state. It was a fucking whirlwind day from crazy to crazier. For once he had been the calm and reasonable one, maybe Courtney was rubbing off on him. He found a way to lift her bridal style, making her squeal like crazy and giggle. Duncan shrugged it off like it was nothing but it made his heart do flips, how was it possible that she still had this insane effect on him. He sat her on his bike and got on in front of her this time.

“If you ever think of trying to take my bike without me again, I will fill our entire apartment with green jelly.” He warned her and gave her a stern look.

She just wrapped his arms around his middle and put her chin on his shoulder, right by her ear. “Celine Dion Cardboard Standouts.” She whispered with a wicked grin. She watched as Duncan tried to keep a straight face but felt him shudder against her chest, victory.

He drove back home, taking it slower than he normally rode with her, she had still scared the shit out of him by driving like that, that’s how people got killed. He swallowed hard at the idea but shook it off as they reached their apartment. Courtney walked in first and Duncan hid the key deep within his toolbox, just to be safe before heading upstairs with her for the night.


	2. If I Die Young

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to my boyfriend Sean because I hate him so so much.
> 
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> Also song for the chapter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NJqUN9TClM

If I Die Young

_A penny for my thoughts?_  
_Oh no_  
_I'll sell 'em for a dollar_  
_They're worth so much more after I'm a goner_  
_Maybe then you'll hear the words I've been singing_ _  
Funny when you're dead how people start listenin'_

 

It had been months since Courtney's rebellious ride she had taken on Duncan's bike. Duncan had barely taken his bike out since, only taking it out a handful of times and only once or twice with Courtney on it, he wasn't mad at her he had just been freaked out by her driving. He had stopped hiding his key, placing it on his nightstand next to his car keys and an old picture of the two of them from when they had gotten their first apartment together after the show had ended and they had fixed things between them. Courtney had begged and pleaded relentlessly that they take a selfie of the two of them in front of their door, despite Duncan's hatred of being on camera, most likely from being on that hell of an island for so long with no privacy. When he came back from the island he had to get rid of his signature green mohawk, too many people were recognizing him and coming up to him to talk or for photos. He let his hair grow out a bit over the years, a bit of it hung in his face with a streak of faded green through the center. People still recognize him but it's far less and most of the time he can lie about it and pass it off without a problem. 

The photo took a while to take, an argument had started between the two of them. Duncan didn't smile in photos, he hadn't done so since he was young and he did his best to hide those embarrassments from Courtney, knowing it could be leverage in a bad fight. Courtney had tried to argue for a good five minutes before giving up with a huff, smiling for the photo but leaning up to kiss his cheek before the camera went off. It went by so quick that Duncan didn't even notice his expression change from one of slight annoyance to a warm smile. Duncan felt he looked like an idiot, but he kept it, lying to Courtney and saying it wouldn't fit on her stand and he didn't want it in the living room. Of course, he actually liked the photo but he wouldn't admit it.

It was a normal night, fall was setting in and the air felt light and crisp from the open windows of their apartment. The sun was starting to set, the sky a mess of colors with only a few clouds in the sky, it was nice out, peaceful. Courtney was sitting at the dining room table, looking over her case for the thousandth time, something clicked in his head when she put her head down for a fourth time in the past hour. Duncan got up, walking to their room and returned, sticking a helmet on Courtney's head, ignoring her annoyed grunt.

"Let's get out of here." He said, standing by the doorway. "You're still not driving." He smirked slightly.

Courtney shot him a glare but he could see the smile that was close to breaking out on her lips. She stood up, fixing a few stray strands of her hair that were out of place before placing her hands on her hips. "Are you ever going to let that go?" She huffed, now crossing her arms, the amused smile finally breaking through. Duncan could get under her skin like no one else could yet she loved him for the way he taunted and teased her.

Duncan smirk grew wider as he nodded. "Not even for a second,  _princess_." Duncan said before taking her hand and leading her down to the garage.

Down in the garage Duncan took off the tarp that was covering his bike, still clean and pristine. It paid to have an older brother to teach him about cars, both fixing and stealing them. He always kept his bike clean and in the best shape, same for his car. He could double as a mechanic if needed. He straddled the bike with Courtney hopping on back, nuzzling into his back a bit. She always felt her happiest on the back of Duncan's bike, the roaring of the engine, the breeze whizzing by her ears, the way she could press so close to him and feel even safer. She didn't go near the bike at first but after a few years, she had learned to love it and the experience.

 They took off quickly, Courtney's eyes on the sky the entire time. It was beautiful out tonight, she finally realized why Duncan had taken her out for the sunset. She smiled and pressed her face against his back for a moment, a silent thank you for getting her away from her own frustration. Normally she was adamant on focusing on her work and it was the subject of a number of arguments but she couldn't resist this time. Duncan took a quick glance back and saw that smile that made his heart do flips, she was the only girl that ever made him act like a softie without saying a single word. It was her smile, the way her eyes glistened when she was determined, the way she could just make him lose his mind with a single look. Courtney was the only woman on the planet who could make him lose his bad boy edge. He turned back to focus on the road and kept on driving.

The sun had set and gone by the time they were on their way back home, they had gone out of town to a local diner that they both loved and talked. Courtney felt good to talk about something that wasn't her court case, it was coming up the next week and she was getting almost no sleep. Duncan was happy to get a burger and just sit in comfortable silence between the two. When they started the drive, it was nearly pitch-black outside. Duncan watched as his headlight flickered on, then off, finally back on again but dimmer than normal. He sighed softly, it was good enough to get them home. Courtney held Duncan like normal, her cheek resting against his back, the rides weren't as fun with nothing to look at on their way back. She focused on the warmth that seemed to always emit from his body, it was comforting.

The ride was smooth, they were close to home, five minutes at the most. The car came out of nowhere, the jackass was driving with no headlights. The next thing Duncan new he was on the ground, his vision faded in and out, taking a minute to see a frantic looking guy on the phone. He looked around slowly, his whole body hurt but nothing felt broken he pulled his helmet off, it felt like he was moving in slow motion like moving in a pool of jelly. That's when the world clicked back into full swing, his bike was a wreck, totaled. He didn't care about the damn thing, his eyes were searching for Courtney, Duncan's mind was racing. He finally saw her about ten feet from him. He went to call out for her but his voice fell silent, there was a lump in his throat as the worst images came to his mind immediately. He made his way over to her, seeing her lying still on the ground but he could see her chest rising and falling at a steady pace.

Courtney sat up, her whole body ached, she felt sick, she felt off. Something wasn't right. She saw Duncan move over to her and she wrapped her arms tightly around him, close to tears, at least they were both alright. There was the destroyed bike, Duncan looked hurt but nothing a few butterfly stitches and ibuprofen couldn't fix. Then something strange happened, Duncan moved through her. She looked down, letting out a shriek of fear and utter confusion. Duncan's body was going through her middle and his hands were on the shoulders of her physical body. She looked down at herself, standing away from Duncan and her other body. Her hands were pale, she was a ghost, a spirit, something from a bad horror movie.

Courtney looked around realizing no one could see or hear her no matter what she did. She also couldn't hold onto anything or if she could no one could feel it. She knelt next to Duncan who was holding her hand tightly and mumbling to himself about how sorry he was. Courtney reached out and brushed a tear off his cheek. He looked to her and for a moment she was excited, he could see her. "I'm here." She said, her voice wavering slightly, trying her best to sound comforting but she was scared as much as he was, maybe more, he wasn't the one who was a ghost or a spirit or whatever. However, he was looking through her to the EMTs who were taking her body away with Duncan following behind. Courtney followed him and sat next to him on the batch, she felt somewhat attached to reality just not able to be heard or felt. She was going to fix this at whatever cost, she wasn't just going to stick around as a spirit, she would find a way back into her body somehow.


End file.
